FUEL MANDATE IS WORKING
The May 13 article: “Marathon exec bashes fuel mandate,” captures perfectly the self-interest of the petroleum industry.
Big petroleum companies like Marathon want us to believe that a renewable fuel supply for American drivers is simply “infeasible.”
Never mind that in 2012, corn ethanol use in the U.S. reduced greenhouse gas emissions from on-road vehicles by 33.4 million tons, which is the equivalent of removing 5.2 million cars from the road for one year.
Never mind also that renewable fuel mandates have been reached every year since the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was enacted in 2005 and, in doing so, has reduced the need for imported oil by more than 462 million barrels in 2012 alone.
I do agree with one point, that people don’t want to pay $6 a gallon for gasoline. Good thing that renewable transportation fuels have lowered gasoline prices by $1.09 per gallon, saving the average American household $1,200 a year on their gasoline bill.
The RFS is achieving exactly what it set out to do. It provides a renewable, cleaner alternative to gasoline, lessens U.S. dependence on foreign oil and supports job growth throughout rural America.
Mark Drewes
member, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association

POSITIVE CHANGES HAPPENING AT ‘Y’
I’ve been a member of the Findlay YMCA for many years and have noticed positive changes under the new leadership of Brent Finlay.
I can’t rave enough about changes Finlay is responsible for. He’s done a complete overhaul of the facility.
Old equipment has been replaced with state-of-the-art ellipticals, treadmills and plate-loaded machines. News and communications with members are now readily available on social networking sites.
What’s more, he even opened up an underutilized lower level of the downtown building and refurbished it into classroom areas. There’s a multipurpose room where yoga and other fitness classes are held, a personal training room, and a cool new spinning room with brand new top-of-the-line spinning cycles.
There are tons of activities and classes to choose from tailored for all age groups. You can sign up for a spinning, aerobic or yoga class, play basketball, swim, lift weights, stretch, or play racquetball. The choices to make your experience whatever you want it to be are basically endless.
Did I mention the facility is spotless, too?
Scott Young
Findlay

TWO SOURCES OF GUIDANCE
I have this idea that everyone I like is going to go where I go in the hereafter, including my small circle of family and friends. Alternatively, if they go someplace else, I want to go where they go, which will likely include for most, a search for heavenly donuts, without the usual dietary concerns.
I’m grateful that most of the people I know act in accord with Christian ethics, which concerns me more than their specific beliefs on who is going where and why. I keep looking for infallible guidance in these matters and confess to never having found it. If we really knew about these matters, we wouldn’t need faith. Faith requires a trust in what can’t be humanly known with absolute certainty and seeks to avoid making final judgments on the fallible, including all of us.
We are fortunate to have two sources of guidance on matters of meaning and fact, revelation and science. The Bible can provide meaning as long as it does not conflict with scientific fact, and science can provide facts as long as it does reduce all facts to material explanations. Both the Bible and science can be interpreted too literally, when imperfect understanding can only be achieved through parable and metaphor.
I struggle in reading the Bible for meaning when encountering paradoxical guidance. Jesus’ saying that no one comes to the father except through him has resulted in the positive spread of the Gospel by missionaries. This saying, when interpreted literally and narrowly, has resulted in anti-Semitism, forced conversions, and the condemning of heretics including even some Christians from different denominations.
The parable of the good Samaritan reconciles this paradox for me by focusing more broadly on the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law, and the first two commandments of love in particular.
The good Samaritan was not doctrinally either Christian or Jewish.
We have no guidance on what he specifically believed, only what he did, which was in keeping with the both spirit of the law and the letter of the Ten Commandments.
Tom Murphy
Findlay

REMEMBER THE COMPASSION
In regard to the recent article, “Equality or Immorality” (Page A1, May 13) which covered some recent accomplishments made by the LGBT community, and featured less than glowing remarks made by the usual suspects, I have some points I would like to make.
Before I begin, be aware that I myself am a proud and practicing Christian.
To start, I have to wonder why so many of my fellow Christians are so vehemently opposed to gay marriage. They brand it as “immoral” and claim that it will lead to the downfall of society and marriage in general.
This greatly puzzles me. What is immoral about two people who love each other being given the freedom to marry?
If anything, the constant cycle of divorce and remarriage taking place amongst many straight couples is far more responsible for the moral decline of our society than anything else, yet I rarely if ever hear Christians speak out against this practice.
Gay marriage becoming legal will, in no way, signal the downfall of the bond of matrimony. In fact, I think Christians should feel overjoyed that the LGBT community holds marriage in such high regard that they are willing to fight extensive legal battles and wait years just so they can live together as legally married couples.
So, in closing, I encourage my fellow Christians to stop the vitriol and hatred with which many of them have been attacking the LGBT community. Remember the teachings of Jesus, and remember the love and compassion he showed to all people.
Benson Fisher
Findlay

THERE’S PLENTY OF ROOM AT CHURCH
When I was younger, I used to wonder about whether there would be a place in the church for me to sit when I became old.
Thanks to dogmatic Christian fundamentalists, that problem does not exist anymore. There’s plenty of space in the pews on Sunday morning.
Bill Freemyer
Findlay